July 11th, 2023 by Shauna Hammond

The summer holidays are just around the corner, and with the family having a little bit more time on their hands to spend time together it is a great time to engage in fun and meaningful activities with your family – so why not get the family involved in a summer project, in this blog we will discuss some fun and easy projects your can complete at home to keep the whole family entertained this summer.

Create a Vegetable Garden

Building a vegetable garden is not only fun for the whole family, but you will also get to enjoy the fruits of your labour year after year. Making your vegetable garden can be as easy or as complex as you want to be – it will also present an excellent opportunity for children to get creative while decorating and teach them about all kinds of different vegetables and encourage them to try a wider range of veggies too!

To start building your own garden then first get everything you will need ready – pick your seeds, and get your tools if you are planning on creating a wooden border then get this ready too! You can buy a wooden planter that little ones can get creative decorating to add a splash of colour, alternatively, you can also build your own – it’s not as difficult as you think just be sure to follow the instructions closely.  

Once you have everything you need ready it’s time to get to work, find a suitable spot in your garden, preferably flat even surfaces that will get plenty of sunshine and rainfall. Once you know where you are putting your vegetable garden, place your border down so you know where to dig then clear the area of grass, weeds, stones and other debris using a garden fork the soil should be nice and loose before planting. Once you have got your soil ready it’s time to sow the seeds, follow instructions closely as different vegetables will require different needs, some may need lots of water and some may not require much at all. Once you’ve got every planted, get the little ones to make some signs so you know what vegetable is grown where.  Get them their own watering can so they can stay involved throughout the whole growing process – it will make it all the more rewarding when they can pick or dig up their freshly grown veggies.

Build A Tree House or Fort

If you are looking for something more long-term and adventurous then why not try building a tree house or fort? This can be a little more complicated and you may need some more adult assistance while initially setting up, however, it will be incredibly rewarding once it is finished to see your children playing and having fun with something that you built with your own two hands.

If building a tree house, be sure to get any necessary planning permission and ensure the tree is stable enough to hold the weight of a tree house, once you are confident that make sure to find a detailed step-by-step guide and follow it closely to ensure everything is safe and secure. Likewise, if you decide to build a fort on the ground, find a detailed plan that will provide step-by-step instructions on how to build the fort and be sure to make everything secure. Once you’ve got their new hideout built then let them loose with paints so they can get creative a decorate it to suit their tastes, let them pick out some colourful pillows, and throws so they can make it their home away from home!

Create an Outdoor Cinema

Finally, if you want to create something relatively quick, easy and a little less permanent then why not create an outdoor cinema so you can enjoy your own summer film festival? It looks very impressive and exciting but is incredibly easy to create! You will need a projector, of course, speakers, a white flat sheet and something to hang it with.

Hang a white flat sheet on the wall – an empty exterior wall or fence panel is ideal to create the canvas, be sure to secure every corner to prevent creases from warping the images – add some fairy lights around the edge of the sheet to brighten the screen and to create a cosy and magical atmosphere. Portable projectors that are compatible with smartphones are easy to come by and are fairly inexpensive and can be easily found on a lot of online retailers – connect your phone to some speakers so you can get that surround sound feel, or if you live in a busy area and don’t want to disturb the neighbour invest in some wireless headphones. Now you’ve created your cinema it’s time to add the finishing touches, lay down some comfortable blankets and cushions so you can get comfortable, pick out your favourite movies sit back and enjoy – make sure not to forget the snacks!  

Cook Up A Storm

If DIY projects aren’t to your taste, then why not have a summer cookout with the family? Nothing brings people together better than delicious food so why not fire up the BBQ and crank up the oven and create a delicious feast for friends and family? You can designate jobs to get the whole family involved, from helping to prepare the food to decorating the table with lots of fun and colourful decorations. You can even create a theme for the day too – this is a fun and exciting way to get children to try new foods and learn about other cultures too.

Plan out some fun games that can get the whole family involved such as charades, Pictionary, and twisters or get active with a game of tennis or badminton the options are endless!  

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Create A Family Scrap Book

Now we all know how unreliable the British summer can be, just as the sun begins to shine the rain can start to fall in the next second! So, if you want to start a project that will help to keep the family entertained on those days when going outside isn’t an option the family scrapbook is a great choice. Not only does it create a fun opportunity to look back on old photos and memories together but it will also allow the kids to get creative as they decorate the pages, you can also get them to write small notes on what they remember from that particular day! Not only is this fun and will keep them occupied for a while it will make for a wonderful keepsake that you can enjoy looking back on time after time - you can also make it a tradition to add to it every summer!

There are so many fun projects you can undertake this summer, whether you go big or keep it small and simple, starting a project as a family is a great way to keep children occupied and active throughout the summer while also creating an opportunity to spend plenty of time together making memories too.